Breaking The Habit
by JHolden
Summary: Faith is not fitting in with the Scooby gang. Warning: Very visual character death [not sure if that was T or M rating so did M just to be sure]. Oneshot fic unless people want a sequal [its the Buffy verse, anyone can come back from the dead..]


-1Disclaimer: Not my characters, Joss is a god

Spoilers: Sometime during season 3

R&R please

Faith was on her way back to her motel room, after an other dull Scooby meeting from which she was mostly excluded. Buffy and her friends had been talking about doing a movie night, right in front of Faith, not even asking if she wanted to go too. That's what it had been like since Faith had arrived about a month and a half ago.

Faith unlocked her door while and while doing so thinking why she bothered doing locking it in the first place. She had nothing of value in there except one other change of clothing and one single CD. It was some CD which she had stolen from the local record shop. She took off her clothes, as she was removing her sweater old scars and new wounds became visible all over Faith's arms. She didn't spare them a second glance and moved towards the bathroom to wash her clothes. If she washed her clothes now they would be dry tomorrow.

Faith got ready for her solo patrol after her refreshing shower, she had been doing those a lot lately. She always left before the 'self-righteous-bitch', as Faith liked to call her, could come to her room. Faith didn't feel like patrolling with 'miss I've-got-a-stick-stuck-up-my-ass-and-have-a-vamp-as-a-boyfriend', she didn't like bein used. Faith had had enough of that while living with her drunk and drug addicted excuse for a mother who sold Faith to her 'boyfriends' for her next fix. But that was in the past now, it didn't matter anymore.

Faith could sense that Buffy was getting closer, 'What the fuck is she doing here? She's usually not this early…' so decided for a quick escape through her bathroom window. She was too late though, Buffy was already knocking on her door and calling her name. "Faith… Faith, I know you're in there, just open up the door." The Slayer was about to open up the door when she found an other reason for why she wouldn't have been able to make her escape, she wasn't wearing anything yet. "Relax B. Let me get some clothes on." 'Stupid brat…'

"What are you doing here B?" Buffy frowned a little at the hostile tone of Faith's voice. "I just came by to pick you up for patrolling, it seemed like that every time I came by to pick you up you were already gone. I figured I'd come by a little earlier to catch you before you left. I've missed our patrols together." Buffy was rambling and seemed slightly nervous to be there Faith noticed. The dark haired slayer figured that there was no point in trying to escape patrolling with Buffy right now, she'd just have to change her patrolling times after today. "Fine, we'll patrol together. Which cemetery do you want to go to first? I noticed the last couple of days that St. Arthur's has been busy with vamps." Faith left her motel room and headed towards the before mentioned cemetery, not bothering to see whether Buffy followed her or not.

* * *

The two slayers had been patrolling St. Arthur's for almost an hour now and had already ran into 8 vamps. Faith had been very quick to stake 6 of them while Buffy had a little more trouble with just 2. Buffy didn't know that Faith had been training everyday for about 5 hours, she had been perfecting her fighting technique and wasn't playing around with the vamps as she had done before. 

It also seemed as if the vamps at St. Arthur's were stronger than the vampires at Restfield, Buffy made a mental note to mention this to Giles.

The reason for why Buffy had gone to Faith's motel in the first place was to get to talk to the younger girl, she had noticed that Faith was becoming more withdrawn from the group, skipping Scooby meetings though that was not entirely new and had avoided patrols with Buffy. The blonde slayer had not been able to get Faith to talk though, every time she asked a question or started some conversation Faith would give very short cut-of answers that stopped any conversation from going any further.

Faith on the other hand was just getting annoyed with Buffy and her sad attempts to get Faith to speak, she just wanted to go back to her motel and shut out the rest of the world. Faith just couldn't handle it anymore. Buffy being fake towards her, Buffy and her friends ignoring her, Buffy only coming over to get help for patrol. Buffy this, Buffy that. It all seemed to be about Buffy. Faith knew though that it wasn't only about her though, it also had to do with her own past that was starting to catch up with her. All the abuse, both physical and mental. Faith was slowly drowning, not knowing how to ask for help and especially scared that if she did ask for help that she would not get it. That's what she had grown up knowing, people wont help you unless they get something out of it and as soon as they have gotten what they needed they will go back to ignoring you again.

Faith was starting to depress herself again and figured this was probably the best time to say goodbye to Buffy.

"Well B, this has been great and all but I'm gonna head back to the motel. You tell G-man about this cemetery, I don't know if I'm going to the Scooby meeting, we'll see." Then she walked off before Buffy could get any word in.

Buffy was left standing there slightly confused and there was nothing she could say to Faith either since Faith was out of sight already. Buffy shook of the feeling that something was wrong with Faith and went to look for Angel, she had promised him that she would come by after patrol.

* * *

A few days had passed and Buffy had not heard anything from Faith or seen her at all. She figured that Faith would show up again when she felt like it so Buffy didn't worry about it too much. It wasn't as if the demon population had grown significantly and gotten stronger so she figured that Faith could handle herself. At the moment Buffy was sitting in the library with Willow, they were studying for a chemistry test. Meaning that Willow was explaining everything to Buffy for the third time and not getting any further. 

"Ugh, this just doesn't make any sense. Lets take a break, we've been doing this for almost 2 hours. My brain can't take anymore."

"Buffy, if you stop now when we're so close to you understanding this we'll have to start all over again later. Do you really want to do that?" Willow asked, she just didn't understand why Buffy couldn't figure this out, it wasn't as if it was rocket science.

Giles chose that moment to come out of his office, "Buffy, have you heard anything from Faith lately? I haven't seen that girl for almost a week now." Willow frowned when she heard Faith's name, she didn't like Faith. When Faith had just come to town she seemed really cool but then she and Buffy started hanging out doing slayer things. When that started happening she didn't like Faith anymore 'she was trying to steal my best friend.'

"No, I haven't. I went by her motel a few times but she's never there." Buffy lied, she hadn't actually been at the motel, she just avoided that place. At that point the phone started ringing, forcing Giles to leave the library.

"Have you seen Faith around Wills?" Buffy was just trying to distract Willow from continuing the studying, before Willow could answer though Giles came back into the library with a slightly worried face.

"That was the Watcher's Council. I have just been informed that a new Slayer has been called two days ago."

Buffy looked up in shock, 'a new Slayer, that can't be. Faith isn't dead.'

"What?" Buffy chocked out before she got up and ran out of the library.

* * *

"Faith! Faith! Open up the door, I know you're in there!" Buffy was knocking frantically on the door, she could hear music inside so she figured that Faith had to be there. "I don't think she's in there miss, that music has been playing non-stop for the last two days. I haven't seen anyone come into the room either." Faith's neighbour had come out of his room to find out what all that banging noise was. Buffy ignored the man and decided to use some force to open up the door. She broke of the handle and slowly pushed the door open. As soon as she entered the room Buffy could sense that something was very wrong, it was very dark so she couldn't really take in any of the surroundings and eerily quiet even though music was playing. She recognised the song now that she was in the room, the song was obviously on repeat as is started over again. 

_Memories consume/Like opening the wound/I'm picking me apart again_

Buffy found the light switch and turned on the light. There were empty vodka and beer bottles around the room. Some of them had been smashed against the wall, glass splinters were stuck in the wall and lying across the floor.

_You all assume/I'm safe here in my room/Unless I try to start again_

No one was in the room though. Buffy could hear water running in the bathroom and moved slowly towards it. She knocked on the door, "Faith, open up please. It's important." She waited for a few minutes but no one answered. "I'm opening up the door slowly so you have time to cover yourself up…" As soon as the door opened Buffy was nauseated by the strong smell of copper.

_I don't want to be the one/The battles always choose/'Cause inside I realize/That I'm the one confused_

The light was on and the shower curtain drawn closed. Red water was all over the bathroom floor, Buffy could see more red water running over the edge of the bathtub. She quickly moved to the bathtub, opened the shower curtain and was shocked by the sight in front of her.

_I don't know what's worth fighting for/Or why I have to scream/I don't know why I instigate/And say what I don't mean_

Faith's under arms were both completely cut open, she was lying under water with clothes on and wide open eyes.

_I don't know how I got this way/I know it's not alright_

The water was full of blood.

_So I'm breaking the habit/Tonight_

Buffy turned of the tap and grabbed Faith, pulling her out of the water. Even though she knew she was too late she covered the wounds with a towel that was in the bathroom.

_Clutching my cure/I tightly lock the door/I try to catch my breath again/I hurt much more/Than anytime before/I had no options left again_

Then she started performing CPR, she didn't notice but a person was coming into the room behind her. "Buffy… Buffy. Stop, there is no point. She's gone.."

_I'll paint it on the walls/'Cause I'm the one at fault/I'll never fight again/And this is how it ends_

Giles pulled Buffy up from the ground and hugged her as she cried. He couldn't understand what had driven this young girl to suicide.

_I don't know what's worth fighting for/Or why I have to scream/But now I have some clarity/To show you what I mean  
_

He looked around the bathroom and saw a note stuck to the mirror above the sink. He let Buffy go and slowly moved through the water to get to the note. Giles just looked at it, he couldn't form the words that were written on the piece of paper.

_I don't know how I got this way/I'll never be alright_

He was about to take it off from the mirror but decided against it, instead he grabbed his cell phone and called the police.

He went back to Buffy and just held her until the police came.

_So I'm breaking the habit_

_Breaking the Habit _

_Tonight…_

Lyrics by Linkin Park "Breaking The Habit"


End file.
